Donald Runnicles conducts Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony
12 – 14 September 2025
In the Concert Hall
Classical Music
You can feel the tension in Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. Written after he had been denounced by Stalin for writing ‘muddle instead of music’, Shostakovich’s response was this symphony.
| Date | Time |
| Friday 12 September Saturday 13 September Sunday 14 September | 11am 7pm 2pm |
Friday Morning Performance
| Standard | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $89 |
| A Reserve | $81 |
| B Reserve | $69 |
| C Reserve | $53 |
| D Reserve | $47 |
| Australian Pensioner | Price |
|---|---|
| A Reserve | $73 |
| B Reserve | $62 |
| C Reserve | $47 |
| Under 18 Child | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $76 |
| A Reserve | $49 |
| B Reserve | $42 |
| C Reserve | $32 |
| Australian Student | Price |
|---|---|
| A Reserve | $57 |
| B Reserve | $49 |
| C Reserve | $37 |
| Under 35 | Price |
|---|---|
| A Reserve | $69 |
| B Reserve | $59 |
| C Reserve | $45 |
Saturday Evening & Sunday Afternoon Performances
| Standard | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $137 |
| A Reserve | $110 |
| B Reserve | $80 |
| C Reserve | $45 |
| Australian Pensioner | Price |
|---|---|
| A Reserve | $99 |
| B Reserve | $72 |
| C Reserve | $41 |
| Under 18 Child | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $116 |
| A Reserve | $66 |
| B Reserve | $48 |
| C Reserve | $27 |
| Australian Student | Price |
|---|---|
| A Reserve | $77 |
| B Reserve | $56 |
| C Reserve | $32 |
| Under 35 | Price |
|---|---|
| A Reserve | $94 |
| B Reserve | $68 |
| C Reserve | $38 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
10:00am, Tuesday 26 November 2024
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What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
9:00am, Wednesday 27 November 2024
General Public tickets on-sale
10:00am, Monday 2 December 2024
Wheelchair accessible:
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations in our theatres. To book accessible seating contact Box Office:
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
Run time
The Friday 12 September performance will last approximately 65 minutes with no interval.
The performances on 13 & 14 September will last approximately 2 hours including a 20 minute interval.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Useful information:
Dramatic and heroic
Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony is a mighty, sweeping masterpiece that unleashes the full power of the orchestra; a bold statement that found universal approval.
Principal Guest Conductor Sir Donald Runnicles is world-renowned for connecting audiences to the emotion of music, which means you’ll feel every dramatic twist and turn, with goosebumps guaranteed in the blazing finale.
In his Sydney Symphony debut, Canadian virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin provides an elegant contrast with Beethoven’s heroic and noble Piano Concerto No.4. And Anna Clyne’s This Midnight Hour magnificently conjures the night. Join us for this powerful reminder that in the darkest of times, artists hold the light.
Presented by Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Programme
Anna CLYNE This Midnight Hour
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.4*
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.5
*Does not feature in the Friday 12 September performance
Artist information
DONALD RUNNICLES conductor
MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN piano
Season 2025
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Feel the connection and join the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and their Chief Conductor Simone Young in the renewed Concert Hall for the 2025 Season, filled with beautiful, inspiring music from the greatest composers of all time. There’s so much to discover.
Plan your visit
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
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